


Close Your Eyes (The World Is Ending)

by BluBooBird



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Demon Bill Cipher, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Language, Historical Inaccuracy, Human Bill Cipher, M/M, Magic Dipper Pines, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow(ish) Burn, Weirdmageddon, i kinda made my own au?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:40:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29281617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BluBooBird/pseuds/BluBooBird
Summary: The world ending was not something Dipper had planned on witnessing during his summer vacation. At most he planned on spending his time out in the forest, becoming well acquainted with the birds and squirrels and maybe an occasional stray cat. Not once did he imagine that he would stumble across an old beat up journal about the supernatural and not only read but also meet the creatures the journal talked about. Not once did he think he'd meet a dapper, megalomaniac triangle trying to reconstruct the world. Not once did he think he'd have a hand in the world's destruction.This is the rewritten version ofPretend I Don't Know the World Is Ending
Relationships: Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines
Comments: 17
Kudos: 46





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I wanted wait to post this until I caught up with where I was in PIDKTWIE but it's a little slow going so I decided to post the two chapters I have now because it's almost the same length as where I left off in PIDKTWIE and I also feel a little guilty not posting anything for so long ^-^;
> 
> I have until chapter 13 planned for this work so hopefully I won't have such a long time in between updates but y'all know what I'm like, so no promises. Thank you all for being so patient and I hope you enjoy this rewrite!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so begins our tale

The world ending was not something Dipper planned on witnessing during his summer vacation. At most he planned on spending his time out in the forest, becoming well acquainted with the birds and squirrels and maybe an occasional stray cat. Not once did he imagine that he would stumble across an old beat up journal about the supernatural and not only read about but also _meet_ the creatures the journal talked about. He never imagined himself going on adventures, helping the creatures of the forest, solving mysteries, being a hero.

It was all just so grand!

And then it wasn't…

He just hadn't wanted it to end, that's all! Everything he'd ever dreamed of being - becoming - all he aspired to do and it was all wretched out of his grasps by a few words.

_"Summer can't last forever!"_

He just... he wanted to do something for once that wasn't for the benefit of Stan, or Soos, or Wendy, or Mabel. He wanted to be selfish, just this once. Who knew his selfishness would have ended up causing the end of the world?

Dipper didn’t know the exact amount of time Gravity Falls had been under the oppressive thumb of their new overlord, but it had to have been years. At least, it felt like years since the rift had been torn into existence, though he could recall everything as if it had happened only yesterday. The Pines family was even more of a wreck now than it was at the beginning: his sister was still trapped in a giant pink bubble, Ford was still a golden back scratcher, and Stan had actual use of his eye patch now after losing his eye in a fight with one of Bill’s horror creatures. Oh, and Dipper was running through the forest for his life. Go figure.

A fierce yowl pulled him from his reminiscing as he sprinted through the underbrush, trying hard not to trip or stumble as a creature black as night and hot as the sun crashed after him, hissing and growling as it snapped at his feet.

It was toying with him. It had to be, because every once in a while it would slow its pace like it was giving him a head start before bounding after him all over again. He knew, even with his newly acquired stamina from traipsing through the woods these last some odd however longs, that he was not fast enough to be wearing it out.

With his vision starting to cloud over with spots and his arms and legs screamed at him to stop and rest, Dipper hooked his arm around a tree to slingshot himself back the way he came, sprinting for a slim gap between a rock formation and the earth he had spotted in a last ditch attempt. Dipper hissed out a breath as he felt the creature's claws narrowly missed his shirt as he dove into the fissure in the earth, an angry scream echoing through the forest as the creature followed, annoyed that it's prey had managed to slip from its grasp. It tried to dig its massive paw into the small opening Dipper had wedged himself into, but it barely managed to fit a single claw in.

Dipper thanked every higher power he could for the brief moment to catch his breath but his new dilemma was now becoming apparent to both him and the devil-cat: he was trapped. It growled, but it was more pleased than it had been when he'd dodged its claws because now it was a waiting game, and the hellcat had all the time in the world compared to Dipper. He tried to edge his way towards the other end of the shallow cave but the creature followed him and pounced on the edge of the opening, almost sealing it together with its immense weight.

Dipper panicked at the thought of being buried alive so he scrambled back and held his ground, taking deep breaths when he could. The smell of the demon-cat's breath was metallic and hot in his face whenever it tried to grab at his legs, causing his eyes to water as he gagged. When he finally felt like he'd regained some stamina, he edged closer to the opening, holding his breath when the cat-like monster lunged for him just as he let out a kick where he thought its nose was in retaliation, relishing the pained hiss it gave as it stumbled away. He took the opportunity to wiggle out from his hiding spot before sprinting in the direction he hoped the Shack was in.

It wasn't long before the hellcat was on his trail again, anger and pain giving it an edge as it bounded after him with a new sense of determination. He could feel it nip at his ankles, trying to trip him up and he was about to give up hope as his muscles started to convulse in pain again when he caught sight of it: the Shack!

Picking up his pace as best he could, begging his muscles to hold out just a bit longer, Dipper sprinted forward. One step, three steps, and then he was tripping right into the protective barrier, letting out a sigh of relief as the giant feline bounced off air with a resonating _thud_. It spat as it got back to its feet, lashing its tail as it paced back and forth around the barrier, glaring at the human just a few inches away from its claws. Dipper stuck his tongue out at it before he stood shakily, dusting off his patchwork pants and t-shirt when a hand came down on his shoulder heavily.

"Hey, dude. That crazy, feline hellspawn still got it in for you?" A familiar voice teased.

"Yeah, guess it's just dead set on eating me... maybe I smell good." Dipper joked, deflecting the hand that was raised to smack his head. He grinned at Wendy, who rolled her eyes but also grinned back.

"Like hell," she jibed, "you and I both know you smell like teen angst and trees."

"Catchy. Maybe I'll make that my own line of cologne after we kick triangular ass and save the world."

"Damn straight, dude." Wendy agreed, wrapping an arm around the teen's neck before ruffling his hair as she led him inside. "So how'd it go? Run into anything friendly on your supply run?"

"No," he sighed, shaking his head as he let the ginger mess with his curls. He'd lost his hat over and over again running errands and dodging demons, replacing it each time with a new one from the gift shop. Eventually they ran out of stock, so he was out of luck. Now he just let his hair grow, keeping his birthmark hidden most of the time. "I didn't find anyone other than our catty friend out there."

Wendy pursed her lips, but then gave a tired smile, "seems to be real fond of you, that one. What on earth did you do to catch its eye?" She laughed, trying to lighten the grim news that the number of friendlies in the forest were dwindling.

"Honestly, who knows..." Dipper muttered, eyes set angrily as he glared at the black cat still crouching just outside the tree line. He’d have to tell everyone to be careful if they left the protective barrier or else they’d lose someone else to the feline’s fury. "At this point, I don't think I want to find out. It's way too attached."

Dipper walked into the kitchen, Wendy trailing behind and filling him in on things he'd missed: Soos and Melody's son, Mateo, had his birthday - not that they knew his _actual_ birthday, but it was decided that it would be nice for the poor child to have _something_ to celebrate. If Dipper was honest, it was something they all needed. One of the cabins had part of the roof collapse and Wendy and Soos were trying to fix it as fast as they could. A few scuffles had broken out over petty things that no one even remembered anymore. Stan had had another episode.

The last one made his blood run cold.

"How bad was it?" He whispered, keeping his voice down since it was still pretty early in the morning. He had been clearing out his bag on the counter, setting out the things he'd gotten during his run: a myriad of edible plants and mushrooms he’d foraged from the forest, a couple of gallon jugs he'd managed to fill with water from a relatively clean stream, and a candy bar he'd snagged from a gas station just outside of town.

"A little worse than last time..." she murmured as she set about storing the provisions he'd brought back before eyeing the candy bar.

"It's for Mateo," he explained and Wendy gave him a soft smile before going back to answering his question.

"His socket got infected again and... and he's been ignoring everyone: doesn't come out of his room, refuses the food we leave outside the door, won’t talk to anyone." She explained, emptying out the gallon jugs into a filtered water barrel before tossing the bottles back in his bag, biting her lip. She hesitated, like she couldn't decide whether or not to keep going before she rubbed at her temples and sighed. "McGucket thinks he's... losing his will to live."

Dipper inhaled sharply, his nails biting into his palms as Wendy went back to putting away his forage. He didn't say anything, didn’t know what to say. Stan was the most resilient man he knew, but without Ford, without _Mabel_... Dipper felt his insides roll. He wasn't a fool. He knew how much Stan treasured Mabel over him. If she were here now, instead of Dipper, maybe... maybe Stan would be better. Maybe Stan would want to live.

"That's not true!" Wendy denied, startling the younger teen. Had he been thinking aloud? Curse his unfiltered mind to mouth connection.

"You know she'd be better at taking care of him than me." He whispered, not meeting the redhead's eyes. "Hell, she'd be better at any of this. If she were here instead of me, she'd probably have ended Weirdmageddon as soon as it had started."

"Hey," Wendy gripped his shoulders, turning him to face her. "You don't know that. You're doing as good a job as you can which is what Mabel would have done, too. My god, Dipper, do you have any idea how many times you've _saved_ us?” Wendy asked, incredulous. “Who would have taught us which plants in the forest were edible when we ran out of canned food? Who would have taught us how to use herbs and roots to cure sicknesses when Mateo came down with pneumonia? Who would have taught us how to get fresh water from the rain and streams and not from stagnant pools and puddles and then also build us a nightmare filtration system so we could actually drink it without losing our minds? Dude, we'd all be _dead_ by now if it weren't for you."

Dipper felt his throat tighten as Wendy continued to list everything he'd apparently ever taught them, not trusting himself to speak in case his voice cracked and he started crying. Wendy pulled him into her arms, gently rubbing circles into his back. Had he been younger, he would've been squealing like a little girl over her celebrity crush, but he understood that what he had was nothing more than a school boy crush. 

Not to mention the fact that the apocalypse of weirdness had pushed everything except “ _survive_ ” off his to-do list, and he had so many things to direct and take care of that he didn't even really think about Wendy for anything other than what she could do to help the small community of humans. By the time things started to calm down and they got used to the danger of living in a world ruled by demons, Dipper had lost all romantic interest in the red head. But that didn't mean they worried any less about each other. They were practically family at this point.

Dipper gave her waist one final squeeze before he stepped back and she ruffled his tangled and dusty hair. He was taller now, not overly but enough that, if it kept up, he would probably stand a couple of inches over her.

Wendy gave a knowing smirk as he grimaced and shook away the dirt she had knocked loose, "gonna go wash up?"

"Like that's even an option," Dipper grumbled, wishing for the days when he couldn't have cared less about how clean or dirty he was. "I'm not gonna waste water we could be drinking with my filth."

"Alright, but don't complain to me when you get ants burrowing in your hair."

"Har har," he deadpanned, grabbing his - now empty - bag and candy bar before heading for the door, stopping when Wendy called his name.

"You really are important to all of us. I know you miss your sister, we all do, but you're just as important as her."

Dipper smiled, tipping an invisible hat to the other in thanks, Wendy copying him with a matching grin, before making his way to the clearing behind the shack. 

There wasn't enough space in the shack for everyone to live comfortably after a while, so Dipper had - to the best of his abilities - expanded the unicorn hair barrier while Wendy and Soos had managed to build some sturdy little houses out in the back for people to sleep in while the shack was used more like an appliance house. It was like a little village, and even though it was forced into existence because of the circumstances, Dipper still couldn't help but love the close knit community it had created.

" _Tio!_ " A small voice giggled, drawing his attention to a small boy with dark, unruly curls, a spattering of freckles, and a toothy grin bounding straight towards him.

"Hey, kiddo!" He exclaimed, bending down to scoop the little Hispanic boy into his arms, but not before tossing him into the air as high as he dared with Melody not a few feet away watching with a parental eye. "How've you been?"

Mateo squealed in delight as he was tossed up, clinging to Dipper with vigor when he was caught. "I tuwned tee!"

"What! No you didn't," Dipper denied playfully.

"I did! I did! I'm aw gwown up! I can even help Papa wif fixing stuff now!" The little boy beamed, puffing his chest out proudly.

"Wow!" Dipper gasped, glancing up when Melody made her way over with a basket of freshly folded clothes.

"Yes, he's been _quite_ the little helper around here," she laughed, though she shared a look with Dipper that conveyed just how much ‘help’ Mateo was actually being before pulling Dipper in for a hug. "How are you? No new injuries needing stitched, I hope?"

"Only just barely," Dipper admitted, setting Mateo down when he started squirming and chuckling so the little boy could run towards the shack, no doubt to persuade Wendy into sneaking him a treat before breakfast. "That demon-cat still seems pretty fixated on me."

"That's so weird..." she mused, eyebrows drawing together in concern. "It's never really gone after anyone else. What on earth did you do to it?"

"Beats me, Mel. Wendy thinks it's sweet on me." Dipper joked, striking an exaggerated pose.

"Oh my gosh, stop!" Melody laughed, giving his arm a light punch before her expression turned serious. "But really though, be honest: do you think it's targeting you for a reason?"

"I don't really know… but if it is, it's probably doing it for You-Know-Who." He sighed, keeping his voice low so as not to be overheard by the early risers beginning to wake and leave their small abodes to carry out their chores and duties. If Dipper remembered correctly, there should be some crops that were ready to be harvested. He’d have to help. Later. After he’d taken a nice long nap.

"Oh, c'mon Dipper," Melody snorted, though she kept her voice lowered too. "It's not like he's the Dark Lord. He's not going to just pop up in all his triangle glory if you say his name."

"Probably only because of the barrier," he muttered, drawing them closer to the wall so as not to be noticed and swarmed by the few people that were awake, all of whom would undoubtedly want to welcome him home. "I just don't want to take any chances. He's the one otherworldly being I don't feel like seeing anytime soon."

"Touché." Melody agreed, setting down her laundry to lean against the wall.

"Anyway, it's probably chasing me because - out of me, Stan, and McGucket - I’m the only one willing to go outside the Shack. He probably thinks I’m the easiest to target out of the few people who might be able to take down the barrier."

That had Melody's full attention. Her expression was schooled, but Dipper could see the alarm in her eyes. " _Could_ you take down the barrier?" She asked.

"I haven't even remotely thought about it," Dipper swore, reassuring the young woman. "I could probably figure it out - not that I want to - and even if I did I'd never tell him."

Melody frowned, "never say never."

Dipper snorted and rolled his, "Yes, _mom."_

"I'm just saying!" Melody said, pushing at the brunette playfully. "Well, alright, I've got to finish the laundry before helping with breakfast. Just try to stay extra safe out there, alright?"

Dipper gave her a soft smile and a hug before remembering his present. "Oh hey, this is for Mateo. For his birthday," he said, digging the candy bar out of his pocket. "I figured I'd give it to you so he didn't eat it all before he even had breakfast."

"Aww, Dipper... you didn't have to." She told him, taking the sugary treat.

"Hey, I'm his ' _tio_ ' for a reason," Dipper grinned mischievously, giving the young mother another hug before making his way back to the Shack, calling over his shoulder. "Catch ya later, Mel!"

He made his way back inside, finding his way around a few of the other townsfolk who were helping prepare breakfast before he headed upstairs to the attic. The rooms downstairs had been rather cramped when they’d all first settled in, all except the attic which many complained about being too hot to sleep in comfortably. Dipper, being used to the heat, had volunteered to continue sleeping there so that more people could move in downstairs. Wendy and Soos had offered to make him his own little cabin so he didn’t have to keep sleeping there after they’d built everyone else their own little homes, but Dipper hadn’t minded. The attic was the last place he’d seen Mabel before all this apocalypse bullshit started.

Making a beeline for his bed, Dipper barely kicked off his shoes before he collapsed on top of the lumpy mattress, making a note to get up and help out with the few crops they’d managed to get growing with the strange weather Wierdmagaddon had brought about before he was out like a light.

△▽△

Dipper had decided to keep to the Shack for the next few days, what with his grunkle’s declining health and the fact that every time he even _thought_ of setting foot outside the barrier, he’d catch sight of two yellow orbs in his peripheral. They were always gone when he’d turn back to catch sight of their owner, but that only made Dipper warier. It was stifling, being cooped up and not out in the woods like he usually was to forage and scout for any survivors, be they mythical or mundane, but it beat being eaten or dragged screaming and kicking to an insane isosceles tyrant.

So he helped out around the Shack, instead: doing laundry, mending clothes, looking after his Grunkle. Wendy refused to let him do anything too strenuous, like repair the cabins or help harvest what few crops they had. Dipper retaliated by making her help him make soap. The process in and of itself wasn’t too difficult, mostly just boiling and mixing a multitude of ingredients together. What made it one of the least favored chores was the herb they used to scent it, which stung at the eyes and nose while it was boiled down, the odor so powerful that they’d made an entirely separate cabin just for the process.

It was during one of these sessions that Wendy decided to pry about Stan, both standing as far away from the boiling pots they reserved just for the pungent herb while they waited for it to boil down into a usable liquid.

“How’s Stan?” She asked, blunt and simple. 

Wendy never was one to mince her words. Dipper loved that about her. 

Well, he did when it wasn’t about his relationship - read as lack thereof - with the last remaining member of the Pines clan.

Sighing, Dipper moved back over to the pots in hopes of avoiding having to answer, squinting his eyes to reduce the damage he’d incur upon them as he lifted one of the lids to check the bubbling tincture. Wendy robbed him of the opportunity by prying the lid from his fingers and placing it back over the boiling pot.

“They still have at least ten minutes, or whatever the equivalent of that is now. You know that. Spill.”

Dipper glared at her as he reclaimed his spot on the far wall, arms crossed defensively. “Why? So I can burn your ears as well as your eyes?”

Wendy whistled, eyebrows raised as she raised her hands in a placating gesture. “Wow, retract the claws, Dipping Sauce.”

The brunette sighed again, his body slumping as his ire left him prematurely. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that. It’s just… not been going well with Stan.”

“Yeah, I gathered,” Wendy soothed, letting their conversation drop, giving the younger teen his space, knowing he’d eventually cave to the oppressive silence. Dipper hated that about her.

“I’m- it’s not even- _ugh_!” Dipper groaned, throwing his hands up in the air as he let his head fall back, a soft thud, reverberating through the wood. “I know you said he was ignoring everyone. I guess I just thought everyone wouldn’t include _me_. I’ve brought up everything I can think of to get him to talk to me: money, women, Grandpa, Mabel- hell, I’ve even dropped Ford’s name just to see if he’d even twitch at it! Nothing. And you’d think he’d care. You’d think that having at least a few people here - you, me, Soos - would be enough to at least make him give a damn, but he just sits there on his bed, staring at the wall, not even acknowledging that I’m in the room. Or if he does, it’s with this blankness, like he’s disappointed it’s _me_. I know we weren’t as close as him and Mabel, I know I wasn’t what he wanted in a nephew-” Dipper cut himself off, his voice breaking and his eyes shiny with unspilled tears. 

Wendy’s arms around him didn’t help in fighting off the impending breakdown he’d been keeping at bay for the past few days, but they did feel a lot better than the crushing empty feeling that had been building in him every time he’d laid his head down on his pillow, thoughts of how worthless he was swimming around in his head and keeping him up late into the night.

“I need to get out of here, Wendy,” he murmured, letting the ginger hold most of his weight as he sagged against her. He was grateful that she didn't comment on the wetness he knew had surely seeped through her threadbare flannel, chilling her shoulder with his tears as he laughed bitterly. “I know you think I’m great and all, but it’s very clear to me that Stan just… doesn't. I can’t-'' Dipper choked back more tears as Wendy pulled him tighter against her, reminding him of when they were younger, when all of this had come tragically crashing down around their heads, and she would hold him as they both cried throughout the night until the bright red orb that was now the sun began to peak over the horizon. “I can’t keep going into that room, only to be ignored. I just can’t. I’d rather be out in the forest, taking my chances with that obsessive hell-cat than here.”

Wendy petted through the younger teen’s tangled curls, clearly trying to not cry herself as she found her voice. “Then go,” she shushed the brunette as he opened his mouth. “You don’t have to stay here Dipper. You don’t. It’s not your responsibility to convince a man who’s given up to continue on living. Hell, none of this should have had to be your responsibility, you were only a kid when all this started. If you need to leave, to get away from all of this until Stan… moves on, then that’s what you need.”

“What about you?” Dipper asked, voice muffled from where he had hidden his face. “What about Soos and Melody and Mateo?”

“They’ll understand. Maybe not Mateo,” they both laughed quietly at the thought of the demanding toddler. “But Soos and Melody? They’ll understand. They love you, Dipper. They’ll want you to do what you think’s best, just like I do.”

Dipper took a shaky breath to steady himself, tightening his hold around his friend before reluctantly pulling away to grin sheepishly at her. “Sorry for putting you on soap duty. Think we can blame our eyes on the soap?”

“Psh, I’d like to see one person here that doesn't cry when they boil this damn plant,” Wendy scoffs, moving in unison with the younger teen to remove their boiled down mixture from the burning stove. When they’d poured everything out into the reclaimed tub they used to make the soap, Wendy turned to him with a sad smile. “Come on, let’s go pack your bag and then I’ll send you off, ‘kay?”

Dipper mirrored her smile, slipping his arm around her waist as they made their way back to the Shack, keeping her as close as he could. This would likely be the last time he’d feel the warmth of another person for a while.

△▽△

When he was all packed and ready to go, Wendy pulled him into a fierce hug before handing him a walkie talkie. “We had a pair that still have some battery life left,” she explained, holding up the matching other half. “You better check in every once in a while or I’ll come after you and drag you back myself."

Dipper couldn't help himself, he pulled her into another firm hug which she was only eager to return, burying his face in her fiery hair.

“Be safe out there, Dipper,” she pleaded.

“I will,” he promised to her, soaking up as much of her warmth as he can before he slowly pulled away. “Thanks, Wendy.”

That was the last exchange he would have with her for a while as he headed off into the woods, forcing himself not to look back in case he started crying again as he walked away from the one sister he had left.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Bear, a demoness, and a triangle

Dipper had been walking for about a week when he made it to the base of the “floating” cliffs that encircled Gravity Falls. He’d been making good time, sometimes jogging lightly, sometimes full out sprinting when his anxiety got the better of him. He’d been concerned that the cracking sound of twigs and brush underfoot would alert his hellish stalker, but he’d seen neither hide nor hair of the creature since he’d made the decision to leave the Shack. It made him twitchy and paranoid, wary that around every tree he passed or undergrowth he skirted there would be a giant, yowling demon-cat just waiting to pounce on him. But the woods were silent, save for the rustle of the plants that had survived the initial waves of Weirdmageddon occasionally brushing up against his legs.

The silence of the forest wasn’t new. In the first few weeks following the start of Weirdmageddon, most of the fauna and mythical creatures had taken shelter to avoid the weirdness waves and chaos the demons had brought with them. Dipper used to be able to come across one or two small communities then, but now they’d all but disappeared. He could only assume they were all killed or captured by a certain triangular tyrant.

When night - or what counted as the equivalent of night now - began to fall, Dipper began looking for shelter. Even if the red expanse that was now the sky never completely darkened past the din of twilight, he had decided rather quickly into his journey that it’d be safer to camp at night than to continue wandering through the forest in the dark. Especially since he didn’t have a clue as to where his bad tempered feline friend had wandered off to. So he followed the steep wall of the ravine until he found a big enough recess in the side of the rock face to adequately shield him from the weather. 

He set down his pack, pulling out his bedroll, and began gathering wood for a small fire. It only took one try to set the dry pine ablaze in the arid forest. Another odd phenomena caused by Weirdmageddon was that rain was a commodity of the past, and if it did rain, it was a torrent of - literal - chemical nightmares.

They had lost more than one resident of Gravity Falls in the beginning to the insanity inducing liquid, a few of them lost to early experiments Dipper had done to try and cleanse madness out of the water. After much trial and error, he'd successfully devised an adequate means of filtration, constructing water barrels that could separate the natural water from whatever demonic chemical was in the rain. Dipper hadn’t found a way to dispose of the remaining holographic fluid left behind - at least, not safely - so it wasn’t very sustainable, but it was the best that Dipper could do on his own.

He was sure the weather absolutely thrilled their demonic oppressor. 

Sitting down to rest his fatigued muscles, Dipper caught sight of a flash of pink from the corner of his eye. Glancing up through the boughs of the trees, the brunette took in the atrocious pink orb that hung like a giant neon moon over the forest.

He swallowed thickly, his mouth dry as he licked at his chapped lips before he worked up the courage to speak. “Hey, Mabel. H-how’re you doing up there?” he asked softly, wincing as his voice cracked and echoed in the silent forest. It could have been his imagination, but he thought he saw the glow of the gaudy bubble intensify, if only for a moment and, mental illusion or not, it gave him the strength to continue speaking. 

“It’s been kinda shitty down here. Most of the town are still trapped in the Fearamid with… well you know. We’ve lost a few others to the eyebats: Robbie, he was… that one was my fault,” Dipper chuckled ruefully, running a hand through his matted hair as he confessed all his woes to the pink bubble. “I told him it was too dangerous for someone like him to leave the Shack. He got mad, took three steps out of the barrier, and was carried away. They got Toby too, but he was just being his usual self, so I’m pinning that one on him.”

Dipper sighed, leaning back against the wall of the recess, letting his shoulders sag and his eyes slip shut as he continued to talk. “The madness bubbles have been increasing in town as well, but they don’t ever seem to get further than that. Wendy thinks it might have something to do with their proximity to the Fearamid, that going too far away from it will make them pop. Which is good, means they don’t ever make it out into the woods. Not like that’s a huge relief seeing as how there’s nothing in the woods anymore: no monsters, no mythical beings, not even any woodland creatures. Everything that was living out here’s just… vanished.”

Dipper let his words fade off, allowing the quiet of the forest to surround him and lull him into a calmer state than he was currently in. Not that that meant much considering he was always in some state of panic or anxiety, but it helped to a minor degree. 

Cracking his eyes open, he glanced up at his sister’s prison contemplating the bubblebum brightness before he looked away, ashamed. “There’s something else,” he murmured, dreading the worlds he knew he needed to say, even if it was just to admit them to himself. Taking a steadying breath, Dipper continued softly.

“Grunkle Stan… he’s not good. He- he’s not eating... barely sleeping... won’t talk to anyone, not even to me. I tried-” Dipper inhaled sharply, blinking rapidly to keep his tears at bay. “I _tried_. God, I’ve tried but he just- you know how he can get: too stubborn for his own good.” Dipper gave a wet laugh, pressing at his eyes with the heel of his palms. “It was always his way or the highway if you didn’t like whatever dumb thing he’d decided to do, except when it came to you. All you had to do was give him that look, you know? The one where you’d stick out your bottom lip and scrunch your eyebrows together and start to tear up. That’s all it took for him to cave when it came to you.”

Dipper sighed again, his shoulders sagging.

“But I’m not you. We both know I’m the last thing he wanted as a nephew:” he whispered, curling in on himself, feeling like the weight of the world was crushing him out of existence. Was this how Atlas felt? If it had been Dipper in the titan’s place, he would have fallen under the pressure of the world by now. He _was_ falling under the pressure. Mabel could have made it work. Mabel would have kept everyone’s spirits up and kept everyone safe and healthy. Everything would have been fine if the one running the show had been Mabel. Because _everyone_ loved Mabel. Mabel was fun, and social, and daring and Dipper… Dipper was, “weak, nerdy, and a crybaby. I don’t like sports, digital or otherwise, I couldn’t care less about what year or model his car is, I’d rather read a book than go to the gym.” Dipper took a minute to breath, steadying himself. “Hell, I think he was ready to practically disown me the minute he found out I listened to BABBA.”

“What is wrong with BABBA?”

Dipper jerked up, heart in his throat as he took in the woods around him. They were silent, still, but now Dipper thought the stillness was maybe unnatural. 

Slowly, Dipper reached down, drawing out a wicked looking hunting knife he kept strapped to his belt just in case. 

“Hello?” He called, his voice echoing into the trees around him. When there was no response after waiting a few minutes, Dipper huffed out an agitated breath, relaxing from the crouch he’d been holding in case he needed to bolt. “Great, now I’m hearing voices in my head.” He muttered.

“You do not recognize me?”

“Jesus!” Dipper yelped, jolting away from the voice, which was now closer and to his left, but when he turned to look there was nothing there. “Wha- who’s there!? Show yourself!”

“Oh, oh yes, I had forgotten. Give me one moment,” the voice said, moving slightly away from Dipper before something caught his eye. It was faint at first, shimmering in the air slightly distorting the woods around it like a heatwave. The wavering shape began to take form before a shadow seeped into it, like a viscous liquid soaking into a sheet of parchment. Dipper starred in fascination as fur began to sprout from the shade, thick and dark as it traveled from the ground up, over paws and haunches and then to a sturdy midsection before finally converging around a plethora of ears and eyes and snouts.

Dipper couldn’t have stopped himself if he’d tried, scrambling up from his makeshift cave and into the paws of the beast in front of him.

“Multibear!”

A deep laugh rang out through the woods as the Multibear caught Dipper in their arms, stumbling slightly with the added weight of the teenager before toppling over, making sure to keep off the human lest they crush him.

“Hello, young warrior,” the Multibear rumbled when their momentum came to a halt, wrapping the brunette in their large paws as he laid atop them.

Dipper buried his face in their soft fur before grinning up at the main head. “It’s so great to see you! Where have you been? Where’s everyone else? Are you okay? How were you invisible? Why haven’t you come to see me? O-or at least told me where you were?” He was rambling, likely overwhelming the poor creature but he couldn’t reign himself in. “I’ve missed you so much.” He admitted, ducking his head as emotions crashed into him now that the initial excitement at seeing his friend had passed. “All of this end-of-the-world stuff happened so fast and then the forest got so quiet. Everyone’s disappeared...

“I thought you were dead,” he whispered, hiccuping when a paw came down on his head to lightly drag claws through his hair. Dipper tried to fight it, but the tears had been steadily building throughout several weeks of emotional turmoil and were now spilling freely. “I k-know I shouldn’t have given up but you just- you all just vanished! And it was too dangerous to go out and- and when I was finally able to look, the forest was e-empty and everyone was g-gone and I was al-all alone!”

The Multibear gave an affectionate rumble, tucking Dipper further into their hold as they sat up before laving multiple tongues over the brunette’s face, washing away the dirt and tears that had accumulated there. “I am here now, cub. Be at ease.”

With the large creature’s soothing, Dipper let himself go, no longer fighting to hold his tears in as he sobbed unabated into the safety of their fur. The Multibear let Dipper cry to his heart’s content, their soft rumbles and warm fur lulling the teen into an exhausted repose. 

Dipper dozed off and on, sometimes falling back into tears when he was awake, sometimes just absorbing the comfort brought by the presence of his friend. Mostly, he talked, telling his friend about everything that had happened to him since they’d disappeared, the people he’d lost, the weeks he’d gone out into the forest just to search for any sign of life. Dipper had cried most of his tears away and talked his voice hoarse by the time the sky began to lighten to a paler red, a mockery of a sunrise.

“Where have you been?” He finally asked, voice quiet in the hush of the morning light. “Why did you only find me now? I’ve been out here multiple times since all of this bullshit started, why didn’t you show yourself to me then?”

The Multibear was quiet for a moment, expressions contemplative before it spoke. “The new god has been preparing us.”

Dipper wrinkled his nose, lifting his head to scrutinize his friend. “What?”

“The new god,” the Multibear repeated, “the triangular one.”

Dipper tensed, his breath catching before he pushed against the creature’s furred chest frantically. The Multibear loosened their hold, letting Dipper wriggle his way out of their arms. The teen backed away from the beast, feeling like he was going to be sick as he replayed the words in his head. “Y-you- _What_?”

“I’ve distressed you…” the Multibear observed, standing.

Dipper gave an unhinged laugh at the understatement. 

“You’re joking. Please tell me you’re joking,” he begged, looking up desperately at his friend.

The Multibear sighed, saying nothing to defend or deny, and Dipper took another step back at the expressions he could read on the few heads he could see: sorrow, sympathy, resolve, but no regret. Dipper’s stomach sank.

“Y-you’re really helping him?” Dipper asked, betrayal piling on top of confusion. “Why? Why are you on his side?”

“I am on the side of my people, young warrior,” the Multibear corrected, amber eyes holding Dipper in place as they burned with a calm fury. “We have been outcasted, hunted to the brink of extinction, made to hide and fear. Something that, I am sure you understand, I can no longer stand by and let happen.”

“And you think following that- that _monster_ will fix that!?” Dipper hissed. “That he’ll just give you your freedom?” Dipper laughed hollowly. “He doesn't do freebies, there’s always a price and it’s always steeper than you can pay.”

“You think I do not know this?”

Dipper jolted at the hard tone his friend’s voice took, looking - really looking - at how the creature held themself. They looked ready to attack.

Dipper swallowed.

“What has he prepared you for?” He whispered.

The hard set of amber eyes was answer enough but he wanted to hear it from his friend directly, hoping he was mistaken.

“You know, little cub,” the Multibear answered, pity in their eyes as they began to stalk towards him. “He has grown tired of waiting.”

“The barrier,” Dipper choked out, taking as many steps back as his friend took forward. “He knew I’d trust you, that I’d let my guard down around you. He sent you to come get me.”

“I volunteered.”

Dipper froze at that. 

“ _What_?” He breathed.

“It is true that he believed me best to retrieve you, but I also volunteered,” Dipper didn’t realize he had stopped moving away until a clawed paw was stroking at his face, pulling a stifled sob from his already sore throat. It looked like he did have more tears left. “I did not wish to see you hurt.”

“I’m hurting anyway,” Dipper stated, the new tears leaking from his eyes swept away by gentle, so very gentle, paws.

The Multibear gave a sorrowful rumble at the admission, tugging the resisting teen into a soft embrace. “Then do not fight me, so that I will not have to hurt you more.

Dipper cried, letting himself be pulled tighter into the hold and coddled by his friend, if only for a few moments longer, before he took a steadying breath and tensed. “I’m sorry.”

“Little cub?” The Multibear questioned before they let out a fierce roar, staggering back and swatting Dipper away with a harsh blow. Dipper grunted as he hit the ground, rolling. He staggered to his feet as the Multibear let out another thundering roar, tugging the hunting knife Dipper had embedded in them out of their side. Dipper gave but a moment's hesitation when his friend turned on him, amber eyes alight, before he bolted into the forest.

The sound of his feet trampling through the underbrush was followed by another’s, the heavy gait thumping into the ground and syncing with Dipper’s heart as he ran.

It was laughable how quickly the Multibear caught up with him. He had to swerve several times to dodge a sweep of the creature's mighty limbs, duck to evade their powerful jaws. Which is why it didn’t make sense that they hadn’t caught him yet.

Every time Dipper was sure that his luck was going to run out, he would just barely avoid getting taken out by the Multibear’s massive form.

That was when a yowl echoed through the trees, sending up all his red flags as he continued to dodge and elude the paws of his friend. When Dipper caught a familiar feline body out of the corner of his eye, Dipper had a foreboding feeling the Multibear had planned for his resistance and was now herding Dipper to where they wanted him to go. 

Dipper swiveled left, rolling away just as a paw smacked down where he’d been seconds before, running faster than he'd ever remembered running before as he took stock of where he was. There! He knew that tree! If he could just make it a few more meters, then he could slip into the cave system that was hiding under its roots, a cave system that was too small for the Multibear or hellcat but big enough that he could squeeze through its passages without getting stuck. 

Breaking into a sprint towards the tree, Dipper didn’t see the dark shape converging over him as he ran.

He felt it though, all 1000 pounds of it.

Letting out a wheezed cry of alarm, Dipper thrashed under the familiar burning heat of the hellcat. A dark rumble came from behind him and he stilled with a yelp as claws pricked at his skin, threatening to pierce though. Dipper's entire body was shaking like a leaf on a windy autumn day as he turned his head to find the demon-cat crouched on top of him, its tail lashing while it’s eyes spit hellfire. 

Taking a shaky breath, Dipper moved slowly as the large yellow eyes followed him. He felt around on the wet ground, fingers catching on a stick and curling around the thin diameter. He brought his hand up, flicking his wrist so hard that he nearly lost hold of the stick as it connected with the creature's temple. The hellcat shrieked in pain, staggering back as Dipper bolted away.

Or, he tried to.

As quickly as he got his feet under him, they were just as quickly knocked back out from under him, this time by the Multibear who kept him pinned to the ground with both paws on his arms as one of his snouts in his face, teeth bared in clear warning: stay down.

Dipper strained against them for a few hopeless seconds before he went slack, exhaustion and defeat deep in his bones as he started to cry once again. The snout at his face snuffled against him for a moment before a tongue gently washed his salt-stained cheeks, making Dipper cry harder.

The Multibear had been right, he did understand. He knew what it was like to be oppressed, beaten down because you were different. He knew what it meant to fear humans, to hide away in fear of the pain they brought with them. He also understood why the Multibear had volunteered to retrieve him. Dipper might have been friends with most of the supernatural creatures in the forest, but there were still many he knew resented him - whether it be because he’d thwarted some plan of theirs or just because he was a human. The Multibear had sacrificed Dipper’s trust in them to keep him as safe as he could be with a price on his head. It didn’t mean it hurt any less that his friend was going to drag him to his worst enemy.

The Multibear slowly removed themself from him, pinning him with a watchful eye in case Dipper tried to run off again. But Dipper was tired. Instead of getting restful sleep, he’d spent the night confessing his sins to his sister’s prison and then talking to his long-lost-friend-turned-captor with short catnaps in between that sapped more energy than they gave. He was hungry, which wasn’t unusual. Since food at the shack was scarce, Dipper only took enough to ration in case he couldn’t find forage in the forest. He hadn’t foraged for food because he’d been talking with the Multibear. 

He didn’t have any fight left in him.

So he stood, and when the Multibear gestured for him to go first, he went obediently.

**△▽△**

The walk through the forest was murder.

Dipper’s muscles screamed with every step, so they kept a relatively slow pace. This seemed to annoy the demon-cat more than the Multibear. It hissed and growled with incessant impatience, butting its head against the small of Dipper's back every now and again as if to frighten him into walking faster. It nearly had an aneurysm when he had asked to rest for a few minutes.

"What do you want me to do, fly!?" Dipper yelled at it, emboldened by his own exhaustion and the hunger gnawing at his abdomen. "I’m human, I can only do so much with so little!”

The large cat's response was a deep huff, like a sigh, before it lowered itself onto the ground next to him, looking at him expectantly. Dipper froze, neither blinking nor breathing for a solid minute. The cat merely huffed again.

"What," Dipper sputtered, eyes open wide. "What are you doing?"

"She is offering to carry you," the Multibear answered.

Dipper gave his friend an incredulous look, but when the hellcat gave an impatient growl, he quickly but gingerly straddled its - her - back, gasping and clutching onto the fur and corded muscle at her neck as she rose and began trekking through the woods again, this time at a quicker pace.

Half the day passed as they continued their journey to town and, ultimately, the Fearamid. Dipper hadn't realized just how far he'd run when he broke down, but now that he knew he had time, he set to asking about the things that had been bothering him, “How did you know where I was?”

“Vaati has been tracking you,” the Multibear said.

“Who?”

“The one you ride,” his friend explained. “Her name is Vaati.”

Dipper looked down at the hellcat he was riding, his brows furrowing before he murmured quietly, “Is she…”

“A demon?” The Multibear finished for him. “Yes, she is.”

“Then why doesn't she talk? Or… I don’t know, take a different form?”

“She is mute by choice and prefers animals to humanoid forms. She’s rather fond of manifesting herself as a black jaguar, though I’ve been told that she has also taken the forms of many other creatures, both mythical and mundane.”

“Oh,” was all Dipper could think to say, falling silent. 

Dipper felt so lost in the midst of the growing awkwardness – wondering how to respond, what to think. He was never good at this. Unless someone prompted him into it, like Wendy had on multiple occasions, he’d rather avoid talking about his feelings. Especially the feeling of perfidy currently swirling in his gut. How did you talk with someone you had so completely trusted and then been so utterly betrayed by? Dipper wanted to laugh or maybe cry. Maybe both. 

The situation he found himself in wasn’t even so clear cut as a misplacement of trust. The Multibear had committed treachery with the intent to spare him physical pain. They had feared for his life, had volunteered to retrieve him to keep him safe. They had betrayed him, for him.

 _But is that true?_ His mind whispered. Was it really to keep him from harm? Did the Multibear actually care? Or was this more deceit? More heartache? The rumbling voice of the Multibear replayed softly in his head, _‘I am on the side of my people.’_ They had spoken with such firm resolve.

Dipper’s swallowed dryly. How long had this been planned? Since the beginning of Weirdmageddon? When the forest had grown silent? Or-

“Your mind is as loud as a disturbed beehive, little cub.”

Dipper jumped, startled out of his head by his… friend? Enemy?

The Multibear chuckled sadly, knowingly. “You have more questions. Ask them.”

Dipper hesitated, staring at the large creature ambling alongside him before he took a deep, steadying breath. “How long… Have you always...” he paused, struggling to say the words. “Was it from the very beginning or-”

“No,” the Multibear interceded. “I was approached before all this, yes, but it was after we had made acquaintance. I was your friend before I was your foe.”

“Do you have to be my foe?” Dipper whispered, biting at his chapped lip nervously, peeling away bits of flaking skin and not even flinching at the painful sting. “Do you have to fight?”

The Multibear mused, contemplative as Dipper waited in silence for their answer. “No, I do not think we must be enemies. You are a kindred spirit, Dipper Pines. You are my friend.”

“But you’ll still fight?”

“But I will still fight.” The Multibear agreed.

“You’ll kill innocent people?” Dipper asked, anger burning under his words.

“If I must.”

“You’d be no better than the humans you hate so much,” Dipper growled.

“And would you hate me?” The Multibear asked.

Dipper frowned, scowling down at the black fur and muscle that roiled under his fingers before he closed his eyes, dry for once, and sighed as he wearily dispersed his weight over Vaati’s shoulder blades. “Does a fox hate the hound that hunts it or the hunter that commands the hound?”

“Then, do you hate your hunter, little fox?”

“Do you really need me to answer that?” Dipper countered flatly.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, Dipper holding loosely onto the demoness for support while she shouldered his weight effortlessly. He refused to look up even as they broke through the line of trees and into the empty, desolate streets of what was once Gravity Falls. 

Dipper tried to ignore the various, vibrantly coloured bubbles that seemed to drift away from them as they weaved through the ruined streets, pretending that the town wasn't as destroyed as he knew it was: merely empty because everyone was asleep. He couldn't, however, ignore the towering pyramid that was raised high in the sky; a beacon of his doom, and they were walking right towards it. 

They stopped at the edge of the crater it had been pulled from, the hellcat lowering herself so that Dipper could slip off her back.

"And just how are we supposed to get up there?" Dipper asked, turning to the big cat with a raised brow. She merely gave him an unimpressed look before she stood and circled around him in a triangular pattern. The concrete beneath their feet began to glow a fiery cerulean before a set of wide stairs began to unfold and extend up from the charred concrete to the pyramid stories above them. "You have got to be kidding me. You may as well just throw me down into that pit because there is no way I am getting up all those steps." Dipper deadpanned, his expression one of complete disdain.

Vaati huffed her irritation, butting his spine with her head.

“Ugh, fine, fine,” Dipper grumbled, starting up the first few steps. The Multibear and Vaati followed close behind before the steps gave a sudden lurch, nearly knocking Dipper off balance as the steps beneath them began to retract up into the pyramid. Dipper looked over his shoulder to see a smug and satisfied feline looking right back at him. “You’re terribly annoying.”

Vaati merely flicked her tail back at him.

“She says the feeling is mutual,” the Mulibear rumbled from beside him.

Dipper snorted, but left it at that, not wanting to get into a one sided argument with a demon-cat. He watched silently as the stairs took them higher and higher before letting them off at an almost porch-like platform, the ebony stone opening up into a – imagine that – triangular entryway, the cut stone framing a giant pair of volcanic glass doors, slightly transparent and accented with strange iridescent glyphs and lines that seemed to warp and twist in a way that hurt his eyes. 

Vaati nudged him forward almost gently, like she was being conscious of his nerves and didn’t want to startle him. Dipper might have been fooled if he hadn't spent hours running through the woods from the meat hooks she called claws. Still, he knew a command from a request, so he swallowed over his building nausea and placed a hand over one of the doors. As soon as his hand laid flat over the surprisingly smooth surface, the doors swung open and he jumped. Dipper's lips thinned at the thought that they had probably been waiting for him.

The interior was about as intricate as the outside, minimalistic and subtle where Dipper thought it would be lavish and excessive. It was deserted too: there was no one out, no one traipsing the hallways, no screams of agony from tortured souls echoing down corridors. The only true hint that anyone seemed to be around was the deep, reverberating baritone of multiple voices all talking over each other that Dipper could feel deep in his bones, reverberating through the stone floor.

They stopped in front of a set of solid gold doors, just as triangular as the first two they'd walked through but instead of distorting symbols and geometric patterns, there were skeletons. Hundreds of skeletons, bowing and scraping at the bottom of the door while a molten fire blazed behind them, smoke billowing above to the top half of a woman, carved with such intricate detail: a halo around her head, her long hair flowing down in gentle waves, each strand carefully accentuated to frame her body, and in her hands she held a swirling orb that pulsed every colour Dipper knew of in hypnotizing waves. 

She was breathtakingly beautiful; she looked down upon the skeletons and Dipper with so much bitter love and righteous fury that the brunette was surprised he didn’t catch fire immediately like the skeletons. His apprehension only grew as Vaati nudged him forward mercilessly.

He let out a shuddering breath, praying these doors would stay shut when his palm slid over them, but much to his displeasure, they too swung wide open as soon as his palm had made full contact with them, splitting the woman and her juxtaposed emotions in half and revealing the large room beyond them. It was filled to the brim with strange looking creatures that all ceased their chattering to stare at them - or more likely, just Dipper - when the doors parted. Dipper felt his legs shake at the thought of taking even one step into the room but, as if she was reading his mind, Vaati nudged him again and he gave her a sharp glare which she soundly ignored before head butting his back again.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered under his breath, starting into the room as surefootedly as he could, not looking up as every eye in the room followed his movements. Dipper could feel their contempt, their curiosity drilling into his skin, but nobody made a sound or moved to stop them, especially when Vaati took the lead, parting the crowd like the Red Sea. Dipper was beginning to suspect she was either a really high ranking demon, or she had a very bad reputation. From what he knew of her - which wasn’t much - both were highly probable.

They would have continued on uninterrupted, but a flash of white caught Dipper’s attention, and before he knew it, he was looking up into the most alluring face he’d ever seen. He didn’t know if they were a man, a woman, or anything in between, but they were _gorgeous_ , with skin and hair so fair it was almost see-through. Dipper thought he saw a pair of wings behind them, but he was too immersed in those thunderstorm eyes that were inching ever so slightly closer, too slowly to really take note of. Their mouth was pulled up into a sly smile, their brilliantly sharp teeth peeking out from behind dusty lips like they had a secret meant just for him, and if he got close enough, maybe they would give him a kiss, or many kisses, kissing him until he died from lack of oxygen and-

An angry roar echoed through the chasmic room before a hiss and an ungodly shriek split the air. It took Dipper a moment to realize that the shriek was coming from the unearthly being he’d been entranced by. Vaati loomed over the creature, her claws buried into their chest. Loud howls of pain and outrage came from the winged being as it thrashed to dislodge the talons, but Vaati held fast. She growled menacingly, but before she could dive forward and deliver the finishing blow, a voice rang out through the chaos.

"Now, now, _children_. No need to lose your tempers. You'll frighten our guest."

Dipper turned as he was released from the Multibear’s steady grip - he hadn’t even realized he was being held back - as the throng of supernatural creatures and demons parted to reveal what could have been mistaken for a very attractive man. If it weren’t for his six arms, all tinted black from the upper arm to his finger tips and adorned with banded golden tattoos and clasps and bracelets and rings. Oh, and his three sets of black wings.

Though, Dipper decided that even without all the extra appendages he looked far too… radiant, and perfect, with light golden skin that stretched over a lithe figure, his slender neck tucked into a high, gold plate collar which led to a heart shaped face that was split by a sharp, slanted smile as he stared down at Dipper in amusement. It looked almost painful how far the smile stretched to reveal his long, sharp canines. A straight nose led to immaculately manicured eyebrows and a single whiskey gold eye. The amber orb practically glowed, surrounded by deep black sclera, while the other was veiled by platinum locks, held back on the other side with a winding golden snake while the rest hung in loose, lively waves.

The being before him practically glowed- no wait... Dipper couldn’t quite tell but it looked like his skin - and boy was there was a lot of it because all he wore was an ornate wrap around his hips that covered only the most essential of places - might _actually_ have been emitting a soft golden light in the red din of the room. And was that... a triangle shaped halo over his head? 

Oh _hell_ no.

“You!” Dipper snarled.

“Me,” Bill replied simply, mad grin never leaving his lips as he moved closer to where Dipper stood. He hissed when the blonde got uncomfortably close, darting back away from him as far as he could - which wasn’t far since the Multibear was still behind him. He could see the amusement grow in the demon’s expression at the brunette’s failed attempt to flee, but he had his pride, dammit. So he stood his ground, meeting the delighted eye of his enemy with cool disdain as hands reached out to capture the teen’s arms and jaw in a harsh grip, baring his teeth at the demon like a feral dog. “Such a weak will, Pine Tree. Is batting their eyelashes all someone has to do to disarm you? Are you at that special age where you only have one thing on your mind?”

“Oh yeah,” Dipper laughed darkly, “I get off on thinking about killing you every day.” With a growl, he jerked his chin back to snap at Bill's fingers, teeth clicking together loudly as he just barely missed. 

"Kinky,” Bill cooed, wiggling his unbitten fingers at Dipper playfully. “I didn't know you were into that, I would’ve had you come play sooner."

A few bystanders chuckled, eliciting a flush from Dipper, but he scowled at the blonde and refused to back down. "What do you want, you waste of cosmic energy?" He ground out, biting his tongue to keep himself from crying out as Bill’s grip tightened painfully, eye flashing red.

“You say the sweetest things, Sapling" Bill purred menacingly, leaning in uncomfortably close to the brunette with his razor edged teeth on full display. "I want what I've always wanted: entertainment, worship, world domination, the works."

"And what makes you think I can give you any of those?" Dipper asked, feigning ignorance.

"Well, at the very least you could be entertaining," Bill leered, stroking a hand down the brunette’s back suggestively. 

Dipper snarled, arms jerking in the blonde’s grip in an aborted movement to strike at the demon, his lips curled back in disgust. “In your fucking dreams, Cipher.”

“Or yours at the very least. Maybe even the rest of your miserable friends out in the forest? I’m sure they could use a pick me up. Perhaps Shooting Star as well,” Bill suggested, cackling at the horrified look the teen gave him. “It’s the least I could do, since you two haven’t seen each other in _such_ a long time.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Dipper hissed.

“Or what, Pine Tree?” Bill mocked.

“Or you’ll have to cross world domination off your books because you’ll be out of people willing to take down the barrier keeping your isosceles ass here,” the teen threatened.

Bill gave an excited smile, his golden eye lighting up while his strange black wings seemed to quiver. “Oh, you know just the way to get my heart racing, kid.”

“You better hope it doesn't cross the finish line prematurely,” Dipper warned, shoving at the blonde who mercifully backed away but didn’t let the human go. “You’re not getting something from nothing, Cipher.”

Bill's lips curled into a pleased grin. “I can negotiate.”

“You need an audience to negotiate?” Dipper asked, raising a brow.

Bill gave a slow hum, before waving a hand dismissively to the gathered creatures and demons surrounding them, a subtle command to leave. They all filtered out quickly at the dismissal, all except for Vaati, who stared at Dipper for a long moment before stalking out with the last of the creatures. 

Dipper watched her go before returning his attention back to the now empty room, eyes landing on a large throne that sat atop a dais. 

So that’s what Bill had done with all the statuized residents. 

Bill followed his gaze and smirked.

“You like it?” He asked, finally letting go of the human to saunter over to the throne before gracefully collapsing onto it, kicking his legs over the side and summoning some kind of… cosmic margarita as he propped a hand under his chin, sprawling across the throne’s arms. “I’m _real_ fond of it, but I could be persuaded to part with it.”

“Do you mean that literally?” Dipper asked flatly, already knowing Bill would get a kick out of _parting_ the human throne all about the room if Dipper wasn’t careful.

“Tempting!” The demon chirped, shooting back his drink. “Tell you what, kid. You keep being fun like this, take down the barrier, and keep your annoying little family out of my way when it is, and I’ll return everyone back to Gravity Falls unharmed and leave the town in one piece when I wipe out _most_ of your pathetic race. Deal?”

Dipper stared at the demon for a moment, not believing a deal with Bill could be this simple. There had to be a catch. “Everyone?”

“Yup!”

“Unharmed physically or mentally?”

“Well, I can’t really promise they won’t be traumatized from this experience, but sure, I can keep the mental scarring to a minimum.”

“And you won’t come back?”

Bill laughed, popping a golden, star shaped decoration from his drink into his mouth. It gave a sickening crunch under his teeth. “No, but nice try, kid.”

“But you won’t mess with the people who live here anymore? No deals, no nightmares, no maiming?”

“Hmm,” Bill hummed, twirling the stem of his conjured glad through his nimble fingers. “I suppose I could restrain myself from maiming. Nightmares are part of the lifestyle.”

Dipper scowled. “And what about deals?”

“Those are for funsies, so no. I can agree to ignore specific people, but not the whole town.”

“No making deals with my family.” Dipper demanded immediately.

Bill gave him a sardonic grin, “That’s not exactly a loss for me, kid.”

“Or our friends.”

“Again, not much of a loss.”

Dipper furrowed his brows. He didn’t understand why Bill was being so compliant. Well, actually, yes he did. Bill saw him as his - most likely fastest - ticket out of Gravity Falls. Still, he expected some resistance so he continued on. “Like our close friends, people we care about. I- I guess you can still make deals with them, if they’re only acquaintances. But not if they harm any of the formerly mentioned!”

“Ho boy, you’re real paranoid after our last deal, aren’t you? It’s cute, how thorough you’re trying to be.” Bill teased, leaning against the back of the human throne, looking for all intents and purposes like the cat that ate the canary.

“I swear if you renege,” Dipper seethed, feeling his face flush scarlet.

Bill’s grin only grew wider, “I’m a demon of my word, Pine Tree: no deals with your dumb friends or dumb little family and all those captured and imprisoned will be returned back to Gravity Falls, physically unharmed and as mentally unscathed as I can manage.” Dipper almost sighed in relief. “Except for Fordsie.”

“Wait, what?” Dipper frowned. “Why?”

“Because I said so.”

“No, I want Ford.” Dipper argued.

Bill huffed, his golden eye glaring at Dipper, “No. He’s annoying and will most definitely try to sabotage me. I don’t feel like dealing with him and his misconstrued conceptions of heroism.”

“Well that’s too fucking bad,” Dipper shot back, crossing his arms while he met the demon’s glare head on. “Because he’s _my_ great uncle and I don’t want him stuck as a golden back scratcher a moment longer!”

They stared each other down, Dipper stances for a fight while Bill’s wings puffed up, both unwilling to concede before Bill’s glower broke out into a sly grin. “Alright.”

Oh, that didn’t sound good.

“Alright?” He asked, trying not to show how nervous the demon’s acquiescence made him.

“You heard me the first time, Pine Tree.”

“Yeah, I did, which is why I’m confused as to why you’re agreeing now.”

“It’s simple. Old Six Fingers can go, but in return,” Bill gave him a chilling grin. “You have to stay.”

“Absolutely not. No way,” Dipper vetoed.

“Yes way, or the deal's off,” Bill threatened, his sharp grin glinting in the red din of the room, “I don’t have to play nice with you, kid. I could just torture you until that pretty little mind of yours breaks and all you can think about is pleasing me. But I like you, so I’m giving you a choice. Take it or leave it.”

Well when it was put that way, it wasn’t that hard of a decision to make. Dipper glared at the smug looking blonde. If only looks could kill, he lamented.

“Fine,” he bit out angrily, “but I’m only staying for as long as it takes me to get the barrier down.”

“So,” Bill gave Dipper a pleased smile. “Deal?”

Dipper hesitated, turning over the deal in his head.

Was he really going to do this? Help Bill Cipher, practically the bane of his family’s existence, break free from the barrier? This definitely wasn’t what he’d had in mind when he’d first arrived at the Fearamid, but it seemed to be working out as well as any half baked plan ever did. But was it _worth_ it? His family, everyone he’d ever cared about, for the _world_?

“Yikes kid. I can hear your brain waves from all the way over here. What are you agonizing about up in that noggin of yours?”

Dipper jolted as a finger tapped against the side of his skull while another hooked under his chin, forcing him to tilt his head up and towards the greatest annoyance of his life. 

“The end of the world,” he answered automatically before his brain caught up with him and he mentally kicked himself for answering on autopilot.

“Who said anything about the end of the world? I’m not ending the world, just your useless species,” Bill smirked, booping Dipper on the nose when he said _‘your’_ like Dipper was the cause of humanity. “Besides, why care about billions of humans you’re never going to even meet?”

“They have families!” Dipper yelled, smacking the blonde’s hands away and taking a couple steps back to put some space between them. “People they love and care about, just like I do!”

“Well then here’s your chance to save the people _you_ care about, then. Aren’t you so _lucky_ I can’t use that one on some other fleshbag!” Bill snarked and Dipper flinched back like he’d been slapped. Bill sighed, a hand moving to pinch the bridge of his nose. His wings gave a few aborted flaps before settling back down as he said, “Look, kid, we’re both between a rock and a hard place here: you want all of your squishy friends and family safe and I want dominion over the world. All it takes is a little handshake and we both get to move forward with our lives.”

“How am I supposed to live knowing I damned the entire world!?”

“Pfft,” Bill smirked, a sardonic glint in his eye as he shrugged. “Who cares? You’ll have your family all safe and sound, isn’t that enough?” Dipper frowned, thinking, but Bill didn’t give him time to weigh the pros and cons. “Maybe you need a little more incentive? You still like knowledge, right? I could give you that,” Bill crept forward, grinning at the spark of interest buried in the teen’s mocha eyes. He reached a hand out when he was close enough to take Dipper’s chin back into his fingers, murmuring, “the infinite knowledge of the cosmos, the secrets of the universe, the world at your fingertips.

“You’ve promised me that,” Dipper spat, glaring at the demon, not fighting off the hold on his chin this time. “Just before you took the one thing that could have brought me closer to the truth and demolished it right in front of me.”

Stroking his thumb over the teen’s cheek, Bill crooned, “Are you still sore about that, my little puppet?”

" _Yes_." Dipper growled, yanking his head away and disregarding the sharp sting of Bill's claw nicking the skin just below his cheekbone.

Bill hummed, staring at the blood that began to bead from the cut before he directed his gaze back to the brunette’s eyes and smiled saccharinely. “Well, that’s all you’re getting from me, kid. You don’t have much else to bargain with unless you want to give me full rights to your mind and soul. Besides, you’re getting a pretty good deal as is: all your friends and family, safe and sound, here in Gravity Falls, all the knowledge you desire. All for just taking down a single barrier."

“And ending the human race,” Dipper bit back.

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Your species is very versatile, like cockroaches,” Bill grinned meanly. “All your little friends will breed like rabbits, and a thousand years from now there will be enough of their descendants to take humans off the ‘endangered’ list.”

Dipper frowned. “You don’t strike me as a conservationist,” he said.

“More of a collector. And just think, if half of the Gravity Falls population has summoned me already, how many of their kids will do the same thing?” Bill’s grin was sharp and predatory. “But we’re getting off topic.”

The demon held out his hand, blue flames already gently licking at his skin and casting a soft glow on his face.

“What d’ya say, Pine Tree?” Bill asked, iris burning as blue as his magic.

The brunette paused, biting his lip roughly, irritating the wounds there, already knowing the answer but still trying to look for another way. God, he was going to be in so much trouble when Wendy got a hold of him. Glancing up, Dipper flushed at the intense look Bill was giving him. 

“Tick tock, kid,” he murmured, the familiar words causing a shiver of apprehension to trail down Dipper’s spine.

Taking a deep breath, Dipper contemplated Bill’s hand and then the demon himself before he slid his hand into the other’s. Blue fire licked up his arm, cool and docile, deceptive. It reminded Dipper that he had made this mistake before. This time, he was making it on purpose.

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you are wondering, I am basing Bill’s look off of this [drawing](https://elentori-art.tumblr.com/image/142646956417) by Elentori


End file.
